Somerville police begin aggressive approach before summer

By George P. Hassett

Patrick Hayes was wanted for violating a restraining order when police drove into Foss Park, scattering day laborers waiting for work to the side, and cuffed him, cigarette still in his mouth, Boston Herald in hand. Cathleen McCarthy had warrants for driving negligently, speeding and leaving the scene of property damage before police led her past the well-kept lawn and white picket fence of her Hudson Street home Tuesday morning in handcuffs.

The arrests were part of a new initiative from Police Chief Anthony Holloway and the Somerville Police Department: To crack down on violent and repeat offenders in the city before the summer starts.

‚ÄúIf you’re wanted for a violent crime we’re going to find you,‚Äù Holloway said Tuesday.

In the past, local police have traditionally waited for State Police officers to come into the city and arrest offenders for outstanding warrants once a month. The new initiative is part of a set of changes Holloway said are coming to the department.

At the June 20 Somerville News contributors meeting, Holloway, the chief since January, said he plans to reorganize the department to increase the number of cops walking a beat and interacting with the community.

‚ÄúWe want to be pro-active in addressing the community’s needs,‚Äù he said.

Holloway worked as a community police officer 18 of the 22 years he was with the Clearwater Police Department in Florida. When he was hired as chief last year he became the 14th Clearwater cop trained under Chief Sid Klein to lead another department.

Currently in the Somerville Police Department, patrolmen bid each day to establish which region of the city they will cover. A new plan Holloway is implementing would change that to a yearly bid, he said, allowing officers to build more knowledge and stronger relationships in the area they patrol. ‚ÄúPolice officers are good at making arrests. But what can we do to solve a problem when we can’t arrest? That’s what we want to work on,‚Äù he said.

The department is getting new bikes and motorcycles July 7 to help push officers into the neighborhoods and “break down barriers,” Holloway said.

Two new police substations are expected to open this year on opposite sides of Broadway, staffed by two deputy chiefs, a new position in the department. The West Somerville substation will be at 1154 Broadway, leased by the city for $32,136 a year. The East Somerville substation will be at 149 Broadway. Holloway said the spaces will be used as a storefront “open to the community.”

Somerville police will also be armed with more firepower. Holloway said all officers will soon learn how to use M-16’s and long rifles.

At the heart of the new initiatives, Holloway said, is maintaining and building better relations with city residents. An example of improved relations, he said, was the information police received in the aftermath of the June 12 shooting at the corner of Cross and Pearl streets.

‚ÄúIt’s the community that solves crimes,‚Äù he said.